Cellist takes his tour to a Seattle tavern

  • By Sharon Wootton / Special to The Herald
  • Thursday, January 19, 2006 9:00pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

Think Bela Bartok meets Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” classical music accented with clinking beer bottles, cellist Matt Haimovitz as a pizza parlor prodigy.

Haimovitz, who continues to take classical music out of concert halls and into coffeehouses and clubs (and yes, even a pizza place), performs Saturday in a Seattle tavern.

He’ll be offering music from his new CD, “Goulash,” on which classical cello meets Middle Eastern and Romanian folk music.

The club/tavern/coffeehouse tour is purely by choice and not a reflection of Haimovitz’s abilities to perform before large crowds.

Once a child prodigy, Haimovitz went on to earn several classical musical awards and perform with world-class orchestras. He has played with Isaac Stern and James Taylor.

He is also a professor of cello at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Brubeck Brothers: Drummer Don Brubeck and bassist/saxophonist Chris Brubeck bring their quartet to Seattle on Tuesday. They’ll showcase 21-year-old Taylor Eigsti, who has already appeared three times on Marian McPartland’s NPR show, “Piano Jazz.” The brothers continue in the tradition of their father, legendary pianist Dave, with straight-ahead jazz spiced with funk, blues and odd time signatures.

Sonya Kitchell: Teenagers feel more intensely than do most adults. Teenager Kitchell has turned that intensity into lyrics and music in her debut album, “Cold Day.” She’ll perform Monday in Seattle. Kitchell, a dusky alto, delivers mostly acoustic songs with elements of roots, folk, jazz and R&B.

Viva K: The electro-punk act shares the stage with Lake Trout and Benzos tonight in Seattle. The band brings heavy beats, retro synth, amped-up guitars and sitar, riding the inspiration of George Harrison. In terms of style, think Jane’s Addiction or Primal Scream.

Matt Haimovitz: 7 p.m. Saturday, Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave., Seattle; $15; 206-789-3599.

Brubeck Brothers: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Triple Door, 216 Union St., Seattle; $20, $25; 206-838-4333 Sonya Kitchell. 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23, Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., Seattle; $20.50; 206-441-9729.

Viva K: 9 tonight, Crocodile Cafe, 2200 Second Ave., Seattle; $10, $12; 206-441-5611.

Carolyn Cruso: 7 p.m. Saturday, P&G Speakeasy Cafe, 15614 Main St., Duvall; $5; 425-844-2766.

Hans York: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Wired and Unplugged Internet Coffeehouse, 717 First St., Snohomish; 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4, Espresso Americano, 2702 Hoyt Ave., Everett.

Sound Tribe Sector 9: Doors open 8 p.m. Saturday, Showbox, 1426 First Ave., Seattle; $20; 800-992-8499.on

Carolyn Cruse: The multi-instrumentalist, known for her hammered dulcimer play, appears Saturday in Duvall. The singer also plays flute and guitar with influences from Celtic traditions. She’s earned praise from Dirty Linen and Victory Music Review magazines.

Hans York: The German-born, Seattle-based singer/songwriter has two appearances in the area in the next few weeks. Recently, he’s been playing guitar and singing with U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion Jamie Laval.

Sound Tribe Sector 9: If you have a yearning for electronic music, check out STS9 Saturday in Seattle. On the tour for its “ARTiFACT” album, the band ranked 29th on Pollstar Magazine’s Top 50 touring acts in America, hit the 12th spot on the Billboard Electronica Chart and peaked at No. 4 on iTunes’ Top 100 Dance Albums chart.

LEFT: Matt Haimovitz performs Saturday in Seattle.

The Brubeck Brothers Quartet – featuring Chris Brubeck (left), Dan Brubeck (right) and special guest Taylor Eigsti – performs Tuesday in Seattle.

Carolyn Cruso performs Saturday in Duvall.

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